TORONTO - Forget about Downsview Park. Despite a flurry of rumours and speculation to the contrary, Live 8 is indeed going to Barrie, as the Sun reported exclusively yesterday.
The source who tipped the Sun on Thursday confirmed again yesterday that the concert will be staged July 2 at Barrie's Park Place --formerly Molson Park -- about an hour's drive north of Toronto.
Speculation that Live 8 was shifting to Toronto hit fever pitch yesterday as Downsview Park officials cancelled the June 21-July 4 International Caravan event there.
That speculation -- initially offered by Caravan organizers who later backtracked -- was adamantly dismissed by Downsview Park president and CEO Tony Genco.
"Live 8 is not coming to Downsview Park -- as of 3:16 Friday afternoon they are not here," Genco insisted matter-of-factly yesterday. "We have not been asked to host Live 8 -- we have not been asked at all."
Canadian Live 8 organizers have said they will not confirm either the venue or lineup of musicians until Tuesday's kickoff news conference in Toronto.
But yesterday chief organizer Michael Cohl issued this statement: "At this time, Park Place in Barrie is ONE of the sites under consideration for the Live 8 venue. Many factors have to come together before this is confirmed. When we have final confirmation, we will make an announcement."
Genco said Live 8's tight two-week timeline makes staging the concert at Downsview Park "unrealistic."
"I think it would be very ambitious, even much more than the SARS concert," Genco said. "At least with SARS we had six weeks, this is now on the edge of two."
"We're open to listening," Genco said. "But it's unrealistic from our perspective."
A spokesman for Mayor David Miller said yesterday's cancellation of the Caravan festival at Downsview Park has nothing to do with Live 8.
"It's completely separate, it's coincidental," Patchen Barss said.
While Genco would not offer specifics, he said Caravan was axed because the festival organizers "were not in compliance" with the agreement reached by both parties surrounding the fee to rent the park for the two-week event celebrating the GTA's multicultural mosaic.
Downsview officials have given organizers a last-ditch chance to reverse the cancellation, and said yesterday Caravan has until 9 a.m. Monday to honour the agreement.
It basically means Caravan must pay $100,000 by 9 a.m. Monday, said Metro Toronto International Caravan president Kirk Jensen.
The total cost of the park rental is $250,000, with $100,000 going to the department of national defence and $150,000 going to Downsview Park.
When asked if Caravan was close to having the $100,000 due Monday, Jensen said "No." Executive director Tylaine Duggan said only $25,000 has been paid so far.
On top of that, Caravan is in debt $80,000 still from advertising costs borne by the last festival in 2003. Any charity operating in the red isn't eligible for government grants, Duggan said.
T.O. venue not ideal
Here's the skinny on why Live 8 won't be held at Downsview Park.
Logistics prevent it -- in terms of both costs and timing.
Downsview Park has no permanent stage, washrooms or other necessities for an outdoor music festival. It cost more than $3 million in July 2003 just to prepare the place for SARS-Stock. And it took a month to do build everything.
There are only 14 days until Live 8 and, unlike SARS-Stock -- whose costs were covered not only by Molson and ticket sales but by both the feds ($3.5 million) and Queen's Park ($2 million) -- there is no government funding for Live 8, and tickets are free.
Barrie's Park Place, on the other hand, is ready to go. The venue, which can hold up to 40,000 concert goers, already has a permanent stage, washrooms and other necessities to produce the concert. That means everything at this late stage, and with no government funding or ticket sales.
There is no other realistic venue available in Toronto for the show, as the Sun also reported yesterday. The ACC is vacant on July 2 but has not been approached by organizers. The Rogers Centre is booked and the Molson Amphitheatre is too small.
- With files from Sun staff
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